


Incidental

by Nitroid



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2018-12-22 04:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11959491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nitroid/pseuds/Nitroid
Summary: Kise, Kagami and the rest of the Generation of Miracles take a trip to a remote island. Somehow, Kise finds himself the center of everyone's attention.





	1. Chapter 1

Kise gently set his backpack onto the floor of the bus before gingerly lowering himself onto his seat, labeled E1. Beside him, seat E2 was probably booked for someone else. His left leg throbbed painfully as he accidentally leaned his body weight on it. Sadly, his injury since the first year of high school hadn’t healed properly. To be fair, he hadn’t exactly allowed it to heal on its own either.

Basketball matches were his everything.

He could still feel the sting on his back from Kasamatsu-senpai’s slap when the team had found out. 

Wincing, Kise inhaled a deep breath before sinking into his seat, allowing the headrest to support his neck. He felt so tired.

Light blue hair popped up from the double row before him; Kuroko’s familiar eyes scrutinizing him like a curious child would. Kise supposed he should be shocked, but after years of getting startled by Kuroko, his body and soul had grown accustomed to the smaller teen’s unnerving presence.

“Kise-kun, how’s your leg injury? Please don’t strain yourself.” Kuroko said softly.  
Nodding, the blond ran a hand through his hair and offered his friend a smile. 

“Just took some painkillers from the doctor. It should last me for the month, which is more than enough for this two week trip.”

Kuroko smiled back, about to say something, when a duffel bag was tossed unceremoniously on the seat beside Kise.

“Move over.” Aomine plonked his ass down, uninvited. “The hell are you both getting all smiley for? We got a boring five hour trip ahead of us.”

Looking vaguely disappointed, Kuroko raised his chin in an act of defiance. “Well, all the more we should make the best of it, right Kise-kun?”

Aomine scoffed and shook his head. “Nah Tetsu, Kise and me are both gonna be bored outta our minds.”

Seeing Aomine look to him expectantly as Kuroko corrected his grammar with a “It’s Kise and I, Aomine-kun”, Kise gave him a one shoulder shrug and tuned them out in favour of checking his phone for updates.

All he wanted was a little peace and quiet for the trip - weeks and months of having his modeling agent grind lines and things to say to social media comments, interviews and the like into his memory, rushing from school to modeling gigs, interviews, magazine offices, publicist agencies and to an acting studio had taken its toll on him. It was a huge relief for the seventeen year old to be able to be on this bus without flashing cameras, having to remember lines, and a makeup artist invading his personal space, all in the name of pushing himself to the top in order to increase his ever growing fan base for publicity’s sake.

Hard work having paid off, he’d been getting a ton of calls and job offers from various studios and entertainment agencies. On a negative note, the gain of a larger fan following resulted in Kise not getting proper rest, much less being able to walk out onto the streets and have a normal day like a regular human without getting harassed by other humans. As it was, even hauling ass to Kanagawa’s train station had proved difficult - Kise had been followed by a small group of stalker-worthy fans, and had been autographing and snapping photos with them for the worst half of an hour before another group of fans arrived and demanded the same thing, to which Kise had tried to reject politely, and had digressed to running away as fast as possible; not a hard feat due to his basketball training stamina, but bothersome nonetheless.

He’d planned to get to the bus at least an hour ahead so he could conk out in his seat and not talk to anyone, but he’d arrived forty minutes late and was now having to deal with the rest of the Miracles.

This was the life of someone who was in the public eye, and despite having grown accustomed to it, Kise didn’t have to like it.

Heaving a sigh, Kise tucked his fringe away under his beanie - a forced purchase to hide his signature blond hair - and fiddled with his sunglasses in his lap - his favorite pair had been openly grabbed by a rabid fan, and he hadn’t wanted to argue over lost property lest he gain bad publicity for his agency.  
Kuroko asked if he was okay, and Kise nodded at him on autopilot, barely listening to what he was saying.

Just for these two weeks, Kise wanted to be someone else.

His phone vibrated; the group chat Akashi had aptly named Mira-Gen where he’d organized this beach trip had a message. Kise lazily tossed his phone back into his backpack. He was already in the bus with twenty minutes to spare, so those messages could wait to be read later.

“Kagami-kun is going to be a little late.” Kuroko read from his own phone.

“Well, tell him to hurry it up cause I wanna get these five hours over with.” Aomine growled from beside Kise. “I’m gonna sleep it all off. Ain’t nothing good to do in here till we get to the damn beach.”

Kuroko rolls his eyes. “Aomine-kun, it’s called enjoying the scenery and talking to others like a regular person.”

“If you’re going to snore, go sit at the back of the bus.” Kise murmured, feeling annoyance and tiredness and moodiness closing in on his mind.

He’d slept barely two hours the night before.

“Who says I snore?”

“I dunno. Just shut up.” Kise yawned his reply.

“Heh, this how you treat your fans too?” Tanned fingers flicked his temple.

Losing his patience at the mention of his fans, Kise smacked said hand away rudely, with perhaps a little more force than necessary.

There was a short moment of silence as his friends stared at him.

Finally, Aomine snorted and shot him a glare. “The hell’s up with you, model boy?”

Kise glared back, feeling his pulse kick up a notch as his tension increased. “No point asking if you don’t even wanna find out.”

“Seriously?” Aomine bristled, his hands clenching into fists.

A dozen or more angry thoughts entered Kise’s mind, forming sharp words that could lacerate Aomine, but a couple of tall figures shadowed their fight, raising heads.

“Seriously.” Midorima ran a hand through his hair. “We can smell the heat from your testosterone levels spreading throughout the nation. Stop this idiocy at once. Akashi is boarding the bus.”

Aomine began to snarl. “Oh, so Midorima’s all about Akashi, isn’t it.”

“It is if you don’t want to get into trouble.”

“Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun, let’s not fight before the trip even starts.”

“Kise-chin, got any sweets?”

The blond barely managed a head shake.

“Don’t tell me not to fight, who’s the one picking fights here now?”

Seeing Midorima eye him with concern, Kise felt the anger ebbing from his veins, leaving him with nothing but tiredness. He felt like dying, but settled for tuning the rest of the world out instead.

If he was lucky, he’d be able to get some sleep.

“You’re in my seat, Aomine.” Midorima chided the tanned Touou ace. “Go sit where you’re supposed to.”

Aomine growled. “Yank that stick outta your ass, Midorima.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re on about.” Midorima tried to make eye contact with Kise, who looked away and stared out the window mulishly.

Kuroko stared on with his usual blank expression, keeping his eyes trained on the blond, which made Kise feel like he was being very carefully scrutinized. 

Kise made eye contact, but couldn’t keep up the staring match. He felt exhaustion seeping through his bones and flooding into his veins.

“What I’m saying is, I got here first, so this is my seat now.” Aomine was saying.

Kise let out a huge yawn that threatened to separate his upper jaw from his lower.

“Hush, Daiki, let Ryouta sleep. Shintarou, sit with me. I must say I much rather your presence than Daiki’s, if only for the next five hours. Tetsuya, sit down properly; you’re not doing your seat any justice.” Akashi breezed by, casually giving out orders like he used to during their Teiko days.

If only for a second, Kise felt a chill go down his spine.

“Aka-chin, what about me?” Murasakibara lumbered on after the small redhead. 

“I forgot my seat number.”

“Actually, I booked out the entire bus. Sit anywhere you like; there isn’t a rule for anyone to sit with anyone else. Didn’t any of you read my message in the group chat?”

Grunts of protests all around.

“I did.” Kagami panted from the entrance of the bus, looking like he’d just run a marathon. “Sorry I’m late, took the wrong train to the wrong station and had to take another right back.”

“Are you an idiot?” Aomine gave a harsh laugh.

“Kagami-kun, why didn’t you just switch trains at Station C?”

Their voices faded away as Kise watched them bicker with a small smile. 

Nothing better than being surrounded by friends so close you could call them family. He drifted off to sleep, comforted by his friends’ voices.

—

Someone was nudging his arm.

Kise gurgled a protest and turned away from the source of nudging.

“Kise, come on.”

It didn’t sound like a nice voice, laced with frustration.

“Mmph.” Kise mumbled and tried to fall back into that nice dream he’d been having.

“…grab his arms, and you can help lift him up so we can support his upper body.”

“No way is that happening; it’s gonna be awkward as hell.”

The voices sounded like some very annoying people Kise knew.

“Here, use this.”

Some cold and wet liquid splashed onto his face, sending all of his senses on high alert. Kise sputtered and jolted upright. The right side of his head hit something hard, and Kise felt his whole body jerk - he had been lying on someone else. Aomine stared back at him with narrowed eyes as he clutched his chin, supposedly where Kise had bumped him.

“I’m so sorry, Aominechii.” Kise blurted out, blinking in the bright light coming from the top of the bus. “I … did I end up sleeping in your lap?”

Aomine looked away, his ears a strange pink. Kise wondered if he was seeing things.

Akashi tossed him a small white towel, looking amused. Kise smiled upon realizing it was cool and damp. He covered his face with it and inhaled a deep breath that only made him yawn, but he hadn’t felt this refreshed in weeks.

“The others are waiting outside. We’re going to check in at the resort now.” Akashi said quietly and leaned down over the front of their seats. “Ryouta, how are you feeling?”

Kise flashed him a brilliant smile. “Feeling great! I haven’t felt this good in weeks. Maybe months.”

Satisfied, Akashi smiled back and turned on his heel, heading out of the bus.

Already standing, Aomine slung his duffel bag over one shoulder and reached for Kise’s backpack. “Get moving, model boy.”

“A-Aominechii!” Kise stood up and abruptly hit the top of his head on the bus’ aircond vent. “Ouch!”

Aomine sighed.

A calloused hand gently rubbed over his sore spot. “You okay?”

Kise felt his cheeks grow warm; Aomine’s face was too close for comfort, and the caring expression he wore was something new to the flustered blond. Biting his lower lip, the blond blinked and felt his heartbeat quicken.

“…that’s gonna leave a bruise. We’ll get some ice for it later so it doesn’t swell.” Aomine was saying.

“Um, I’m sorry.” Kise mumbled, feeling his face heat up.

“What for?” Aomine was caressing his head like how an older sibling would, making Kise wonder if this was what it felt like to have a big brother.

Aomine would make a cool brother, Kise mused.

“About earlier, I was rude to you, and hurt your feelings.”

“Nah, I’m made of tougher stuff.” Aomine smirked, leaning in close to rest his forehead on Kise’s. “‘Sides, think it’s been a while since you were able to unwind like that.”

“Well, I took it out on you, so I’m sorry.” Kise blushed at the close proximity. “Let me make it up to you, Aominechii.”

Aomine’s lips were centimeters from his own, and had he always looked this dazzling up close? He could be a model if he really tried.

“It’s fine, you know what?” Aomine was so close Kise could feel his breath on his face.

“W-What?”

“I got to see a different side of you. You’re not all that perfect, model boy.”

Kise swallowed, turning pink. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I kinda like that.” Aomine’s lips ghosted over his.

A sharp rapping on the door of the bus pulled them apart. Technically, Kise jumped back a mile, but Aomine seemed unfazed.

“Ryouta, Daiki. No one likes to be kept waiting.” Akashi’s smile was pleasant, but his eyes were cold.

What was up with Akashi? Kise wondered, hoping he didn’t piss him off.  
Kise nodded furiously and pushed Aomine before him, hoping his voice didn’t come out too weak. “Let’s go, Aominechii!”

They trotted obediently to the reception, where they were greeted warmly by the staff, who were delighted to have a group of handsome high schoolers staying.

In the resort, Kise was pulled into a one armed hug that crushed him against Murasakibara’s side. He let the gentle giant tilt his chin, facing upwards so he could get a closer look.

“Still handsome, Kise-chin.” Murasakibara offered him a smirk of sorts and pressed an orange sherbet to Kise’s lips. “You taste like this.”

“Nice.” Kise savored the proffered candy, rolling it around his mouth with his tongue. “How d'you know what I taste like, Murasakibarachii?” 

Behind them, Midorima snorted and Aomine inched closer, repeating Kise’s question with equally annoyed, yet intrigued expressions. Akashi was busy charming the receptionists at the counter with Kuroko, who seemed to be glancing back every few seconds in Kise’s general direction.

“Ryouta, you’re rooming with me.” Akashi sauntered back to their group with Kuroko in tow.

To Kise’s surprise, almost everyone else began protesting, and loudly at that.

“No way in hell, Akashi!”

“Akashi Seijuurou, I swear on all greater powers of Oha-Asa…”

“Aka-chin, no fair!”

“Kise… wanna room with me instead?” Kagami asked quietly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

His cheeks were tinted a slight pink.

“I… uh.” Kise blinked as everyone else turned on the redhead.

Plucking something from Akashi’s hand, Aomine sauntered up to him and dropped it into Kise’s palm.

The blond blinked down at the key in his hand. “Wha-”

“You’re my roommate.” Aomine smirked. “Wanna check out the pool? Let’s go. We’ll meet everyone later for food or something.”

He grasped Kise’s hand in his and steered him away amidst protests of rage from the others.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Aomine hesitates, Murasakibara makes his move.

"I'm gonna set up the futon."

 

Kise watched as Aomine unrolled the beds out from the storage closet in their sleeping space. He couldn’t help feeling that something was amiss, what with the way all of his ex-Teiko teammates were behaving, and even Kagami, whom he barely knew, had been acting a little weird earlier. Chewing on his lower lip as he unzipped his backpack, the blond figured everything was just down to stress accumulating over the past weeks. He was on an island, school could suck it, and well, work would just have to wait till he got back with renewed zeal, hopefully, after this mini-vacation.

 

Also, his skin was way dry, thanks to the air-conditioning in the bus he’d just spent hours traveling in. He needed some cleansing and hydration, stat.

 

“You good with the right side?” Aomine asked, turning his steel blue gaze on him. “Or you could take the left.”

 

“Any side’s good with me.” Kise replied politely, wondering why Aomine was suddenly being so nice - then chastised himself inwardly for not giving his friend the benefit of the doubt. “You choose.”

 

Still, this was Aomine he was talking to, and well, Aomine just wasn’t being very much like Aomine. Kise couldn’t help but digest this thought as he picked up some of his powder cleansers and proceeded to find a good spot by the nicely designed deckchairs to exfoliate his face. Truthfully, everyone else didn’t seem to be behaving like everyone else, either.

 

“Here, let me open the doors.” Aomine was by his side in an instant, helping him slide open the large resort doors that led to the wide balcony. “You sit here. You want anything?”

 

Kise let himself be led to a comfy deckchair - after Aomine arranged some large cushions to support his back - and sat down. He shook his head at Aomine’s question, seemingly running on auto as he mechanically unpacked his facial products to begin his skincare routine - but his mind was reeling, mainly from surprise and also a deepening sense of suspicion that only grew with each passing moment.

 

“You’re being so nice, Aomine-chii.” Kise passed off a laugh as he jokingly teased his tanned friend. “What do you want from me?”

 

To his surprise, Aomine turned away, but not before Kise caught the tips of his ears turning a shade of red, which only added to his wariness. Was he just overthinking things?

 

“Been a while since we got to talk.” Aomine said, his voice a little strained. “Or well, spend time to do anything, really.”

 

Kise chuckled. “Yeah, like any of us have had the time to actually do something productive with each other. We’ve only ever kept tabs on everyone else because of basketball. Honestly, Aomine-chii, have you ever actually been hanging out with the others?”

 

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Aomine turned to look at him, gaze steady. “Yeah, some of ‘em.”

 

“Those that you can stand, right?” Kise grinned at him as he added water and lathered the beauty powder into a foaming mixture. “Ugh guess what I’m such an idiot, where’s my headband?”

 

Aomine gave him a blank look.

 

“Man. I think I forgot to pack it.” Kise groaned. “Well, whatever. I’ll just wing it.”

 

“Wing what?”

 

“Cleansing my face. I’ve already lathered up. And there’s no clips or anything I can use to push my fringe back.” The blond smirked as he waggled his soapy fingers. “Not that you’d know, right, Aomine-chii, you’re definitely not into these things.”

 

“I could be.” Aomine grinned as he dragged a deck chair over and reached his hands out to Kise’s face, pushing his hair back and tucking any stray locks over his ears. “If you want.”

 

Wow.

 

Kise blinked, time and every other human mechanism his body was internally operating seemingly stalled in the moment. Aomine’s touch was well, not usually this gentle, which was really not something Kise was accustomed to - being more used to getting hit or smacked or flicked on the forehead - and had Aomine’s eyes always been so alluring in all its dark seriousness?

 

“Um.” The blond inhaled a quick breath and swallowed, quickly regaining his composure. “Interesting, Aomine-chii. Got yourself a girlfriend over the past couple of years? Is it Momoi-chii? Fill me in.”

 

“What d’you mean?” Chuckling, Aomine shook his head, thumb absently stroking some of the baby hair off Kise’s forehead. “You know I’ve got nothing going on with Satsuki. She’s like a sister to me.”

 

Hoo boy.

 

Kise bit his lower lip and applied his cleansing foam to his face. “Must be some other girl, then. Same school?”

 

“Nope.” Aomine looked into his eyes. “What’s got you so interested?”

 

“Aomine Daiki, I know for a fact that you’ve never been this…” Kise waved one hand in an abstract movement. “Well… like this. Ever.”

 

They paused for a moment.

 

“Good looking? A total dreamboat? God’s gift to men?” Aomine laughed, and Kise couldn’t help noticing how the corners of his eyes crinkled up - three years had really changed the guy he’d called his rival for the past couple of Winter Cups.

 

He was definitely cute, and a lot less gruff with a lot more handsome mixed in, now that Kise actually was within close proximity of his familiar face.

 

“R-Right.” Kise broke eye contact in favor of focusing on his skincare, but his heart had just skipped a beat or three inside of his ribcage, so what in the world was that all about?

 

Aomine smiled. “Yeah, see? So we’re definitely in agreement here - my face is the best.”

 

Something about his smile coupled with the closeness of their faces and the history of their love-hate relationship made Kise’s face heat up. Mind ablaze with thoughts, Kise shoved all logical explanations his brain was coming up with to the side and tried to focus on the present - something he often failed at doing because of the way his mind worked.

 

“Your skin’s really soft.” Aomine breathed, handsome face practically a centimeter away from Kise’s horribly inflamed one, with only the cleanser’s lather doing a shit job of covering up his emotions. “Do all model boys have skin this good?”

 

“Yeah, we have to.” Kise murmured, somehow managing to maintain his cool. “It’s part of our job. But most of us just have naturally good skin, though we do have to do a little skincare upkeep.”

 

“Beautiful.” Aomine responded, lips ghosting over Kise’s - how he’d come even closer was beyond the blond’s theorizable theories.

 

“Thanks.” Kise quickly broke eye contact with a dab of cleanser onto Aomine’s nose. “Here, let’s do your face next! There’s this trial pack mask my sister gave me that I wanna try out but it’s too much for just one person.”

 

Kise leaned down and reached for his toiletry bag, but couldn’t help noticing that Aomine’s face looked a little disappointed.

 

Things were getting weird, and they didn’t need to be. Not when he’d agreed to come on this vacation to chill.

 

x

 

“Kise-kun, are you having fun?” Kuroko somehow materialized in the usual way he often did, popping up out of thin air by Kise’s right side like it was the most normal thing in the world.

 

Still, Kise supposed he should probably already be immune to this. Nothing Kuroko ever did should shock him anymore, not after three years of being friends.

 

“Yeah, of course.” Kise smiled, taking in the scene unfolding before him.

 

It was close to sunset, and the beach was lit in a brilliant orange gold, mixed in with a dusky pink of twilight that was fast approaching.

 

The smell of the ocean was wonderful.

 

Kagami had Aomine in a headlock, displaying one of his rare angry-tiger shows. Beside them, Midorima was busy texting on his Oha-Asa decked out Android - most probably talking to Takao, whom Kise had also been checking in with, on and off, till they’d reached the beach for dinner. It only took a split second for Aomine to accidentally jab Midorima in the ribs with his elbow as he wrestled Kagami off of him, and another slow-motion second where Midorima’s phone traveled in a beautiful arc into the sand, where the unforgiving seawater lapping at the shore lapped itself up and over the device.

 

Midorima unleashed his fury on the wrestling duo, effectively smashing their heads together so hard Kise and Kuroko could hear them click together with a dull thunk from where they were standing.

 

Things were going well.

 

“Some people never change.” Akashi murmured, pulling a Kuroko on Kise as he appeared with a whiff of minty aftershave at Kise’s left elbow. “Wouldn’t you say so, Ryouta?”

 

“I guess.” Kise replied dubiously. “But I think Aomine-chii has changed quite a bit since I last saw him.”

 

Akashi’s eyes seemed to glint dangerously before his expression lapsed into a calm one. “Is that so.”

 

Kuroko released a low growl. “Something happened between the two of you in the room you were supposed to room with me in?”

 

Kise blinked, mildly freaked out. “Um, no… what were you expecting to happen?”

 

Akashi wound an arm around his waist. “Let’s not go there, Tetsuya. He was supposed to room with me, remember? Ryouta’s obviously got a mind of his own, clearly, he can take on whatever Daiki has to offer.”

 

“Well, you are an independent person.” Ignoring Akashi, Kuroko took Kise’s hand in his. “I like that about you, Kise-kun.”

 

“I, too, admire how good you are at handling people on a social scale.” Akashi’s light grip seemed to tighten around his waist.

 

“Good with everyone, I’d say.” Kuroko offered him a terse smile. “Though Kise-kun has always been especially good to me.”

 

Akashi’s eyes narrowed.

 

Kise inhaled a breath and flashed the short duo a smile. “Okay, which skit are you both tryna pull off here? Is this from the Cha-Cha Charade Show, the episode with Oikawa-kun starring as the host?”

 

Akashi and Kuroko looked blank.

 

“Okay, I’ll leave you guys to it.” Kise laughed as he backed away slowly. “Couldn’t tell which one of you was which, but it was great. Needs more practice, but one of you needs to channel your inner Iwaizumi-san too.”

 

Successfully removing himself from their somewhat desperate grasps, the Kaijo senior sauntered over to a safe spot - a beachside table where Murasakibara had collapsed his upper body on. Kise felt like he could count on the Yosen giant to at least be normal when everyone else was being complete weirdos.

 

“Hey.” Kise flopped down beside him, leaning his head on his toned deltoid. “I’m super tired, Murasakibara-chii.”

 

“Hnn.”

 

“You feel me, right?”

 

“Mnn.”

 

“Don’t we all just need a break?”

 

“Nnn.”

 

“Which is why we’re all here together, breaking like no other.”

 

Murasakibara grunted.

 

“Also, I was thinking to start calling you Atsushi.” Kise tested the waters. “Murasakibara-chii sounds like an intense mouthful, doesn’t it?”

 

The sleepy Yosen ace raised his head and finally made eye contact. Kise smiled.

 

“So that got you to listen to me, hmm?” The blond chuckled.

 

“I was listening.” Murasakibara murmured. “And I’d kinda like it if you call me Atsushi instead.”

 

He reached out and took Kise’s chin between thumb and forefinger, making the blond’s heart skip a couple beats as he leaned closer. While his brain registered the shock, somewhere in the back of Kise’s mind, Kise wondered when Murasakibara had grown so good-looking, and if he’d always had been this forward. As his lips met the taller teen’s in a gentle kiss, he realized he didn’t know the Yosen ace that well.

 

A couple of minutes must’ve passed them by because Kise felt strong hands roughly prying him and Murasakibara apart just when he’d gotten a brief taste of the purple haired teen’s tongue.

 

“What the hell?” Aomine growled, eyes locked with Murasakibara’s in a heated glare.

 

“Too fast, man.” Kagami had a hand on Murasakibara’s shoulder.

 

There must’ve been other words being flung at each other, but Kise’s mind was awhirl with a high mixture of surprise, a dreaded realization, and panic to listen and process. His fight or flight response had turned from tingly to alarming. He needed to get away immediately. Standing up abruptly, the Kaijo senior turned tail and ran down to the sandy beach in a rush of adrenaline, heart pumping seemingly a thousand beats per second as he raced away despite the calls of his friends. Jumping over a small wall, running past a rickety signboard that probably stated some safety rules or tsunami warnings, Kise turned into a smaller lane that seemed kind of unused. He didn’t know where he was headed, nor had he taken the time to familiarize himself with the area, and soon found himself in a deserted section of the beach. There were rocks that cast high shadows around him, and nothing but the steady sound of the sea waves crashing against the rocks near the shore, and lapping at his sandaled feet in the dampened sand.

 

He’d just locked lips with Murasakibara.

 

Not someone he’d grown up with, much, but the guy had been in some of his classes back during Teiko days and had always been a source of snacks whenever Kise had skipped a breakfast and lunch while enduring the tough juggle of lessons and modeling.

 

The way the Yosen teen had looked at him had shaken him to his core. That wasn’t a look someone you were sort-of-friends, sort-of-rivals with for basketball tournaments shared. Kise’s mind flitted to when Murasakibara had grown into his skin - or rather, body - and where he’d learned to kiss like that, and if he’d had prior experience with someone else.

 

But who?

 

A girl, maybe, Kise’s mind conjured up a silhouette of a teenage girl, slim, white blouse and short skirt, maybe in Yosen’s uniform, probably from their cheerleading squad, long hair up to the middle of her back, where it might curl a little, her thin arms around Murasakibara’s neck as he leaned down to kiss her, hands on her waist…

 

Images of Aomine flitted into view, as if the tanned teen himself was trying to insert himself into the picture. Kise shook his head to clear the objectifying thoughts away. First things first - he needed to assess his situation. His brain told him he was overthinking things due to the stress from studying for T University’s entrance exams, and his modeling gigs were showing him a bright path ahead, one that held a promising future, especially to fund his pilot license fees. Then again, his gut feelings told him that he was definitely not overthinking things - none of his ex-Teiko mates had ever been like this with him before, and especially someone like Aomine behaving a certain way than Kise was used to was nothing short of weird. Murasakibara kissing him was definitely knee-deep in weird-water category.

 

Well, if he’d just kissed a guy, was he a homosexual?

 

Kise chewed on his lower lip and wondered if he had issues with that. Not really, he decided, gay guys were rampant in the industry he worked in, and none of them had ever given him problems. Kise felt silly for thinking that way. Plus he’d just run away like an idiot from his friends and the weather was getting chilly. He wished he’d had the sense to bring a jacket.

 

He turned back, trying to think of the way he’d come from, and realized he hadn’t a clue which way to go. The ocean breeze was picking up, sending a slew of goosebumps popping up across his arms and legs. Kise shivered in his thin t-shirt, rubbing at his arms.

 

“Fuck.” He patted his boardshorts - he’d left his mobile on the table with Murasakibara.

 

Well, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That kiss was everything.


End file.
